All Adventure Begins with Tragedy

Chapter XIII: And so it goes

"Silver, will we win?" Adalayde was talking to me in "private" so she could use my actual name. We were in a pub eating some breakfast.

"I sure hope so, we have a fine army. Even the losses that we suffered the last few days, however so small were saddening. Then again, we do have a garrison of villagers to help us," I told her.

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm just worried. We are bound to lose lives. And if we lose, all of our lives will be taken!"

"Yeah... that reminds me- I need to talk to Luke about that army."

"Army?" She hadn't heard.

"Oh, I sent out Luke and a few squads to raise an army from the country. He should report to me sometime today how it is going."

"Hey love birds!" Both Adalayde and my own face flushed.

"What is it Rachel?" I asked her exasperated.

"Luke's back! Said he had urgent news!" She was yelling from across the room. The crowded noisy room.

"WHAT?"

"LUKE... IS... HERE!!"

"OH!" I looked back at Adalayde, "I'll be needing to go- later!" I told her pushing myself up from the chair.

I ran out side, breathing a momentary sigh of relief at being in the fresh air again.

"Oy! Me ol' mate!" Luke was directly in front of me, his dirty hot breath breathing right on my face.

I recoiled waving my hand between the unpleasant scout and my nose. "Hello Luke, what's the news? And why the sailor accent?"

He shrugged his shoulders, then reported in a normal voice, "We have an army of about two hundred-"

My jaw dropped to the ground. Metaphorically.

"Why the face? Any way, I put one of our own in charge. Told 'em to flank around behind those sons of-"

"Thank you Luke, good idea. Anything else?"

"The Hammerites are about six hours away."

"Holy Archase! Rase the alarm! All men on duty!"

A passing villager from the garrison heard and rushed to the alarm bell. The piercing sound peeled out in a silver tone. Instantly every man, woman, and child looked up towards the church bell steeple. They knew what was happening.

Farmers put down their pitchforks and picked up spears, the chaplain put down his holy book and picked up a bow, men eating left their food and grabbed their swords. Woman and children scurried to the safety of the stone fort.

Soon the village was a ghost town. It was stripped down to the timbers, anything of value thrown roughly into a wagon and carted under the gates into the asylum.

The fort was equipped with six catapults, one at each point. We set up our trebuchets at each inverted point. It was also equipped with two black- powder cannons. The cannons were a newer innovation. The Hammerites had a lot of money to blow if they could afford cannons.

"Luke!" I called to my best scout. Luke also happened to have the keenest eyes.

"Aye cap'n?" He said swaggering across the battlements.

"Would you shut up with the sailor talk? Whatever, get to the top of the tower and report to me if you see the enemy," I ordered.

Grinning stupidly he responded slowly and deliberately, "Aye- aye cap'n!"

I was about to beat some sense into his fat head, but when I started at him he scampered away and towards the tower.

"God that man has it coming for him!" I muttered to myself.